Marguerite by the Lake
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Marguerite by the Lake! This atmospheric novel, set to release on May 20, 2025, was my first read by Mary Dixie Carter, and I truly enjoyed her writing style.

While the book is categorized as a thriller, I’d say it leans more toward a slow-burning mystery—one that kept me wondering what wasn’t being said. The tone was slightly ominous, and when I wasn’t reading, I found myself eager to return and uncover more. There’s a lot of detail and backstory woven in, which I personally enjoyed, and I could vividly picture the setting as if I were watching a movie.

Marguerite’s character had a bit of that Martha Stewart-esque perfectionism, particularly with her brand and gardening. The dynamic between Phoenix and Geoffrey, however, felt a little off to me—it developed so quickly that it almost didn’t feel believable. And then there was the ending… without giving away spoilers, it left me thinking, That’s it?! I wanted more resolution, more details, and I felt a bit frustrated by how it wrapped up. If this had been a movie, my husband and I would have looked at each other at the end and said, Seriously, what the fuck?!*

That said, I do think the ending leaves a lot open to interpretation—maybe that was intentional, forcing the reader to draw their own conclusions. While I personally wanted more closure, others might appreciate the ambiguity. Despite my mixed feelings, Carter’s writing is immersive and compelling. The rich atmosphere and slow-building tension made for an engaging read, even if the ending left me wanting more. I’ve sat with this review for a few days, unsure how to rate it, but overall, I’d give it 3.5 stars. It’s worth reading for the writing and mystery, but be prepared for an ending that may depend on your own perspective.

I wanted to Love this book based off the blurb, but it really didn’t meet my expectations. The story was kind of all over the place, the characters were just confusing. I’d also say this definitely isn’t a thriller.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press for the copy of Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter. The description made the book sound intriguing, and it was great at first. As soon as the affair started I felt like I had missed something because the characters and the ‘relationship’ hadn’t been developed at all. Phoenix’s actions are strange and make no sense, and she is a strange MC. If you love a big, shocking reveal, you will probably love this book, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the oddness of the story in general for me. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I don't know where to begin. This was such a good read. Just spooky and terrifying enough. I read it in 2 days and was drawn in to the spiraling madness of Phoenix. Initially I was really enjoying all the bits about roses and other gardening topics. The book quickly turned sinister and had many layers of intrigue.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this book.

Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon known for her garden parties, high-end business ventures, and being the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, Marguerite by the Lake. Her presence is overpowering, her taste, legendary. For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener on the famed Rosecliff grounds, home of the Gray family: Marguerite and her husband Geoffrey. Phoenix came from humble beginnings, and now she works hard to craft the landscape that underpins Marguerite’s brand.

When a storm threatens the launch party for Marguerite’s latest book, it’s Phoenix who spots the danger to the guests and rushes to Geoffrey’s side to save him from a falling tree. Geoffrey is grateful—perhaps too grateful. Marguerite is . . . jealous. Phoenix senses the danger of being drawn deeper into their lives but can’t resist the attention, becoming embroiled in an affair that could destroy her career.

But soon after the affair begins Marguerite falls to her death, from the same high point at Rosecliff where she posed for Marguerite by the Lake. Now Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him. A secret that Detective Hanna and Marguerite’s daughter—her spitting image—are circling closer and closer to. Phoenix tries to put it all behind her and find her rightful place at Rosecliff. But as every gardener knows, nothing stays buried forever.

To be honest, I was expecting more of a suspense/thriller book from the description, The boo, was well written, but just not for my taste. 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
This is a terrific book, I enjoyed the heck out of it.
Phoenix has been taking care of Marguerite's gardens for quite a few years. Marguerite is a lifestyle icon who is famous, popular and wealthy and Phoenix is a bit intimidated by her. After saving Marguerite's husband's life, she becomes obsessed with him and ends up being his lover.
When Marguerite dies from a fall, her famous portrait haunts Phoenix and she becomes irrational, believing the portrait is haunting her. She's become quite unhinged and is unravelling. Following her to the end of the book was riveting: be careful what you wish for!

Imagine coveting Martha Stewart’s life, home, garden, social media, talent AND husband, and being able to just step into that lifestyle after Martha suddenly dies. That becomes somewhat true for Phoenix, a thirty-something landscape architect who was the gardening talent behind the famous Marguerite Gray’s Instagram photos.

Phoenix Sullivan is just another employee around the Gray’s fabulous Rosecliff estate until she pushes Marguerite’s unhappy husband Geoffrey out of the way when a giant spruce fell during the storm that spoiled a party for Marguerite’s new book. Both Grays suddenly notice Phoenix: Geoffrey is apparently taken with her and craves a relationship; Marguerite becomes cold and seemingly suspicious.

Marguerite is also well-known for a painting done of her in her youth — “Marguerite by the Lake.” I was definitely reminded of “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth (a portrait that hides the secret that Christina is actually paralyzed and crawling towards the farmhouse). This painting portrays Marguerite on a cliff overlooking the lake below — and, sure enough, Marguerite is found dead, having fallen from her frozen-in-time perch.

The book’s POV is Phoenix’s, who finds herself in a “Rebecca” type situation after Marguerite’s suspicious death and Geoffrey’s quick invitation to have Phoenix move into Rosecliff. Phoenix is always trying to avoid that ominous portrait as well as the gossipy staff. She quickly becomes Mrs. deWinter with far less respect. The middle part of the book, although it’s all about mounting dread, does drag and it gets increasingly harder to sympathize with our girl gardener. Phoenix feels haunted and is suspicious of everyone from the Gray’s adult daughter, a housekeeper, the neighbor across the lake, and eventually Geoffrey. I was engrossed until the end, but I’m undecided about the ending. Unfortunately, this morphed into a story where I disliked every character. 3.5 stars


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Geoffrey’s pale blue eyes and Marguerite’s large brown eyes are oft mentioned, but no green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES Honestly, this book with a plot involving gardening needs a gardener or horticulturalist to proofread it. There is some knowledgeable stuff (like blue hydrangeas need acidic soil and watering deeply for winter), but there are other misses:
Even though Martha Stewart suggested it once, there is no published scientific research that shows that epsom salts benefit roses. Epsom salts do not contain any of the three major components of most fertilizers—nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium—and therefore would not be a complete fertilizer for roses. It’s an old wives’ tale like coffee grounds.
PJM rhododendrons prefer partial shade over full sun.
Phoenix cuts her finger while pruning roses — who prunes roses without heavy leather gauntlet gloves?
Japanese maples along a sunny driveway? Bad idea for trees that burn easily in the sun.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

It has been such a good season for thrillers. The latest I’ve read was Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter. I really enjoyed it.

this was a really really really good book!!!!!!!!! I was not expecting it to be as good as it was, I am still thinking about this book and feel that I will be thinking about it for quite a while!! It had so many deep moments, the twists and turns catch you off guard, and it is just a great story!


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

3 stars--I liked the book. This is a character-driven literary novel, not a suspense novel (though crime is involved). There are overtones of DuMaurier's Rebecca here, though the narrator is no Mrs. DeWinter!

It's like there's a sinister aura in the background of the book--a slightly gothic, off-kilter feeling that I enjoyed. I'm being vague to avoid spoilers, but nothing is "right" in this book: not the people nor the setting. Subtly chilling.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter is a must-read book for 2025! From the very first pages it's clear that the author is an expert storyteller. Intelligently written and intriguing plot line. Kept me guessing and up all night. Loved it!

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 3

Marguerite by the Lake is my first read by Mary Dixie Carter. I was immediately intrigued by the plot and was really excited to dig in to this suspenseful mystery. Sadly, this book just didn’t grab me the way I thought it would. I loved the estate backdrop, the beautifully descriptive writing, and the idea of the story, however, the pacing was pretty slow.

Mary Dixie Carter does a beautiful job of fleshing out the characters in the way that I could literally see them in my mind, but I unfortunately just didn’t like them very much. I also felt as though there was this long, slow build-up, only for it to fall a little flat at the end.

Even though I didn’t enjoy the story very much, I did enjoy the Authors writing style. I’ll look forward to checking out her future books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑. 𝑨𝒏𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆.

I've been anxiously awaiting Mary Dixie Carter's sophomore release after loving her debut THE PHOTOGRAPHER, and she did not disappoint with this Gothic-infused read.

Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon and influencer; she's an aloof, mysterious Martha Stewart type and mistress of Rosecliff, the famed home she shares with her husband Geoffrey. She's also the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆. Phoenix has worked as the gardener at the home for the last few years, and she's had to swallow her pride as Marguerite carefully documents Phoenix's care of the varied plants so she can later cultivate that knowledge into carefully curated social media posts and best-selling books.

When Marguerite hosts an outdoor launch party for her newest book, she didn't anticipate a violent storm would blow through, uprooting a tree that would have killed Geoffrey if not for Phoenix's intervention. Sparks fly between the two, but Phoenix knows better. She's the hired help, not the lady of the house. But she's been living as an outsider for too long, and she finds herself entangled with Geoffrey. Later, when Marguerite is standing at the very site where she posed for the painting that would immortalize her, she falls to her death in a freak accident. But someone saw two people at the site, and when Phoenix moves into the house mere months after Marguerite's death, the suspicion is all on her.

I think it's important to note that if you go into this book expecting a high-stakes thriller, you'll be disappointed. However, if you're a fan of the atmosphere that V.C. Andrews and Edgar Allan Poe both create in their stories, you'll have a better appreciation for this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the early copy. This title is expected to publish May 20, 2025.

Obsession is the key word. This novel did not resonate with me and I felt it was all over the place. Thank you for the gifted copy, but the characters did not work for me

Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter is a suspenseful and thrilling read that kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot is intricately woven, with twists and turns that make it hard to put the book down. The main character is easy to hate, which adds an interesting dynamic to the story and keeps the reader engaged.

However, I found the ending a bit confusing and open to interpretation. This ambiguity might be a deliberate choice by the author to spark discussions and debates among readers. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would give it four stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gardeners life is haunted by the power of Marguerite. After saving Geoffrey from a fallen tree during a storm. Phoenix and Geoffrey became close. Marguerite a woman with influence by followers on her gardening platform has inspired others to find growth in landscaping.
…
Having Phoenix’s knowledge thrust Marguerites into a place of recognition eventhough she was not the inspiration behind the project. Every word was Phoenix’s and every plant and tree was chosen by Phoenix. Phoenix wanted recognition for her craft.
…
Stepping into the life of Marguerite came with its own surprises. Mary Carter Dixie showcased a story of obsession and secrets. The story centers around a painting of Marguerite by the Lake. It was like a living breathing thing. The painting was her presence. The landscape became the focal point of the story carrying with it a significant amount of information. Mary Dixie Carter writes an intriguing story about Phoenix’s relationship with Taylor and Geoffrey. The shoes she’s trying to fill were not made for her and between her guilty conscience and Taylor’s constant reminders of who they belong to; navigating a place in a life that was acquired by someone who was established takes incredible strength.
…
Mary Carter Dixie writes a fascinating story about a woman who wanted the life Marguerite had. I was captivated by the unique nature of this story. The deep presence of the trees and flowers really showcased how much they inhabited and consumed the property. A truly spectacular read from cover to cover.

I downloaded this book as the storyline looked interesting. As I started to read it, I got more frustrated with it. A young woman who works in the gardens of a famous author known for her garden photography books becomes involved with the woman's husband. What follows is a series of events involving murder, affairs, etc. I did love the descriptions of the flowers but that was the best part. I will not be recommending it.

This was such a wonderfully done novel, it had that suspenseful feel that I was looking for from the description. The overall story was everything that I was expecting and still have that tension that I was looking for. The characters overall were written well and had that element that I wanted. Mary Dixie Carter wrote this perfectly and left me wanting more.

Gothic Mystery of Wealth, Power, and Secrets

An excellent gothic-style story unfolds in Marguerite, where the lifestyle icon Marguerite Gray, known for her lavish garden parties and as the subject of the infamous painting "Marguerite by the Lake," lives a life surrounded by wealth and influence. But the perfectly curated image hides the fact that much of the work behind the scenes is done by countless others, each playing their part in maintaining her glamorous lifestyle.

When Marguerite mysteriously plummets to her death on her own estate, it is initially deemed an unfortunate accident. However, as the days pass, the layers of opulence begin to peel away, revealing a tangled web of secrets, power plays, and intrigue. Dixie Carter masterfully weaves a story that tightens its grip with every chapter, drawing readers into a claustrophobic world where appearances are deceiving, and every character harbors a dark side.

The story is narrated by Phoenix, the quiet and observant gardener who has always worked in the background, keeping the estate's grounds flawless. Through Phoenix's eyes, we are given an inside look into the investigation that ensues and how the fractured family attempts to cope with Marguerite's death. The atmosphere grows ever more stifling as Phoenix finds herself drawn deeper into the mystery, as well as into the allure of the wealth and power that surrounds the family. She becomes both a witness and a participant, swept into the very world she once viewed from a distance.

Marguerite by the Lake is a thrilling tale that keeps you guessing until the very end. With its gothic elements, atmospheric tension, and complex characters, it explores the intoxicating nature of wealth and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets. This is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery infused with psychological depth and gothic charm. Pick up this book to find out what really happened that fateful day.

#stmartins #margueritebythelake #marydixiecarter

In the spirit of the movie All about Eve, a famed and beloved garden designer find herself at odds with her protégé, who is not only good at horticulture, but also good at seducing her teachers husband. Death and calamities abound.